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that man tear off the seal and give it to a forester to bring to me." |
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"Listen again. On the fifth day from now, I will be married. On the sixth daythe fingers of one hand and one more, so many daysyou will tell the messenger that ransom has been paid. Say, if he asks, that two marks were paid. You will carry him, bound, to some place on the edge of the wood. There, give him back this scroll, loose his hands but not his feet, and leave him some sorry, half-dead nagask Beorn for one of the reaver's horses for the purpose. Do you be sure he catch no sight of any of you in your huntsmen's garb. If needful, let the man who frees him mask his face and" Alinor laughed, "and let him wear the man's own garments. After that use they must be destroyed, and so must the trappings of the horse if they be marked by the king's badge or in any other way out of the usual. Let one of the men hide his horse. I will send one who is not known as my man to dispose of it. You have done very well, huntsman, very well, indeed. The coins are yours. When the horse is sold, I will give you its value to be distributed among your menand I will add two shillings for the value of the clothes that must be destroyed. If the man's weapons are not marked in any way, they can go to the armory. If they are recognizable, they must go to the smithy to be suitably altered." |
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Alinor paused and thought over the situation. Had she covered everything? In the back of her mind she found that she was wondering where Beorn was and whether he had found Ian, instead of concentrating on the problem in hand. "Have I left aught hanging?" she asked the huntsman, too aware of her divided attention to trust herself. |
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"Nay, lady. Our part is clear." |
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"Do you know by sight the young knight who came with Beorn and has been teaching Master Adam?" |
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